Overload
by I Am District 12's Diamond
Summary: Katniss won the 72nd Hunger Games, and Cato won the 71st Hunger Games. They're friends and mentors. Now it's the 74th Hunger Games, and what happens now? ***CURRENTLY ON HIATUS***
1. Chapter 1

**Overload **

**Chapter 1: The Girl I Don't Want Here**

I sit on the soft train seat, waiting for this years tributes to arrive. My name is Katniss Everdeen, I live in District 12, and I won the 72nd Hunger Games. I was fourteen years old, and I even surprised myself with my ability to fight in the Hunger Games; a life or death situation. Kill or be killed. However, I have been on the brink of death before so people saw that, naturally, and assumed that I had an extremely high chance of winning.

Being a mentor has it's perks, but at the end of the day, you have to participate in sending at least one child to their death. I try not to think about it. I'm friends with some of the victors that are know mentors, some you wouldn't expect. I'm friends with Johanna Mason from District 7 who I think won the 69th Hunger Games, Finnick Odair from District 4 who won the 65th Hunger Games, and finally Cato Fairfax from District 2 who won the 71st Hunger Games.

It's a weird friendship, between me and all of them really. They are actually nice people. I think it's funny how the Hunger Games, of all things, is what created these friendships between me, Johanna, Finnick, and Cato.

It will be, maybe ten minutes, until the tributes arrive, and I feel pure fear inside me. It's my little sister's, Prim, first year of reaping. I can't volunteer for her, mentors and victors can't. If Prim was reaped and I could volunteer for her, I would, no doubt in my mind. But unfortunately, I can't so I can only pray she isn't reaped.

I stand and I begin pacing, then I remember what they did at the point last year. They gave me a list of all of the tributes for the games printed on crisp white paper. And just after that thought, a male avox walks in front of me, holding out said piece of paper. I take it with a nod, and he scurries off to another compartment of the train. I sit back down. I will not look straight at the names on District 12, I will read the names of the tributes from other districts first.

District 1~

Male Tribute: Marvel Satin

Female Tribute: Glimmer Electra

District 2~

Male Tribute: Liator Zalain

Female Tribute: Clove Fiachra

District 3~

Male Tribute: Telech Enzora

Female Tribute: Salinas Natarus

District 4~

Male Tribute: Rolen Lure

Female Tribute: Aster Flo

District 5~

Male Tribute: Delan Kresa

Female Tribute: Faylia Quehella

District 6~

Male Tribute: Thorne Atress

Female Tribute: Oreliana Pextiam

District 7~

Male Tribute: Enthi Leones

Female Tribute: Azelea Romous

District 8~

Male Tribute: Iles Graysee

Female Tribute: Texaly Tee

District 9~

Male Tribute: Waynet Hollist

Female Tribute: Leena Veleta

District 10~

Male Tribute: Castor Keleo

Female Tribute: Jacia Lasor

District 11~

Male Tribute: Thresh Walito

Female Tribute: Rue Bloomer

District 12~

Male Tribute: Peeta Mellark

Female Tribute: Madge Undersee

No. It isn't my sister who was reaped. But it is one of my close friends, and I only have two of those and that's Madge and Gale. Madge Undersee and Peeta Mellark. One of my close friends going into a fight to the death with the the boy who saved my life.

And I think I've decided which one I will fight to save.

Madge.

* * *

**Slow start, but trust me, it will get better. **

**Also, if you read my other story Shake It Out' I might not be able to update that. **

**-I have a bit of writers block on that one. I hope you liked the beginning of this story. I liked it. I'll try to update as soon as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Overload**

_Inhale _

_Exhale _

_I'm tired of it _

_I don't wanna breathe _

_I just wanna leave _

_Or I ll be stuck here till my soul flies _

_Inhale _

_Exhale _

_I'm tired of it I don't wanna breathe _

_What's the point in being here _

_I just wanna leave _

_Can you show me to the pain killer killer killer _

_I'll be searching for a pain killer killer killer _

_Can you show me to the pain killer killer killer _

_I been looking for a pain killer killer killer _

_Overload_

~Overload, Dot Rotten

**Overload**

**Chapter 2 : Madge and Peeta**

I wonder who visited Madge in the Justice Building. I know her father would, but who else? Her mother has migraines and can barely leave the house. Prim might have went to see her. She knows that Madge is my friend, and she knows how much it would mean to me.

I care about Peeta, but he may have saved my life and my family's, but I have never spoken to him once. I know I have to let him have a chance, and I will really try to help him, he does have a family too. But I can't help it if I want to at least help one of my friends to come out of that area alive. Me and Madge grew closer after I won my games, and we actually became what I class as friends instead of acquaintances. She tried to teach me how to play piano, but to be honest, I just enjoyed listening to her playing it.

I learned how bold she was when she asked, confidently, if I could teach her some things to do with hunting, and survival skills. And of course, archery. I taught her a lot of edible plants in the woods surrounding District 12 and some poisonous, and I mentioned some of the poisonous and edible plants I came across in the arena. I showed her how to build snares, which she was alright at but not as good as me or Gale. I also taught her how to build fires, which seemed almost pointless considering building a fire runs the risk of being killed; in an arena or in the woods.

She turned out to be very good at archery. Almost as good as me, which surprised me. I never knew she would have been that good at archery, on the other hand, back then we were still very quiet people so we didn't have the need to talk a lot.

She's a very nice girl, really. There's a small part of me, literally tiny, that maybe doesn't want her to come out of that arena. Because the horrible truth is, the real winners of the games are the ones who never leave the arena. But I want her out, selfish as it may be, but she has family to go home to. They need her, and I'm sure if I watch the recap of the reapings I'll see some tears forming in the mayor's - her father's - eyes.

Suddenly, emerging from another car, is Haymitch. He walks in with a drink in his hand. I think it's whiskey. I can smell it on him as soon as he stepped in this room. He walks over, and even though I can smell the alcohol, he appears sober. He holds out his hand for the list of tributes, quickly scanning though the names until he reached District 12.

He looks surprised, then he shakes his head. "What?" I ask as he stares intently at the paper in his hand.

Haymitch sighs, "I don't think they'll have a chance this year. Maybe the boy could make it past the bloodbath."

"And how would you know?" I demand.

He snorts, "One of them is a baker, and the other in the mayors daughter. Undersee? Mayor's daughter, no chance."

"You don't even know her." I spit.

My ex-mentor rolls his eyes, as if I haven't met her but I still have hope,"And do you, Sweetheart?"

"I do. She's a close friend." I stand, angry at him for making snap judgments. "She's stronger than you think. She can use a weapon, she can hunt, and a lot more you don't know. So Haymitch, you should meet her, because she is about as good as me. And I'm not dead, so I don't think she will be."

I sit back down and rub my forehead, feeling slightly light headed. I glare at Haymitch, who opens his mouth to say something, but then the door to this car opens, and in walks Effie with the tributes. I notice Peeta looking at me, but I just shrug it off. This is the moment I now realize something. I have to fight to save Peeta, as well. I owe him my life, I need to help him survive in the arena. At the end of the day, I'm not sure who I'll have to help the most. I guess I'm going to have to train the both of them, and if they want to train separately, then they can.

But right now, I need to focus on giving both of them a very strong chance of living, because if I don't it will haunt me for the rest of my life.

I look over at Madge, and I can't see an ounce of fear in her eyes. But I can see determination, and that's the one thing that matters to me. She tilts her head at me, and smiles, but not a weak smile like I expected. I walk towards her, but I can't bring myself to smile. This isn't really a time where I smile.

"Katniss." She says.

"Madge." I reply, softly. The train begins to move.

She looks at me, innocently. "Do you want a hug?" She opens her arms.

I laugh, then I wrap my arms around her. I'm normally not like this, a lot of people could tell me this, but I don't know why I am. Could it be, perhaps, that I may be a small bit upset about one of my close friends being send into an arena to fight to the death? Probably.

I hear Peeta ask Haymitch, "Do they no each other or something?"

Haymitch snorts in response. "No, they've never met before in their entire lives. Of course they know each other."

I whisper in her ear. "You're not giving up just because it's the games. Do you understand me?"

She nods, then we pull apart realizing we have caught everyone's attention. I turn around to face everyone, and I realize I haven't really spoke to Peeta and Madge and they're my top priorities for the next few days. I move to sit down, as Haymitch sits on my right and Madge slides next to me on my left. Peeta sits next to her, but somehow the seat isn't really that cramped. I let Effie begin her speech about how amazing it is in the Capitol and how excited they will be for their newest batch of tributes.

I've only mentored one year, and obviously neither of my tributes from that year came home. They were both from the Seam, and they did train hard, but it just wasn't in them to be able to come out of a kill or be killed situation alive. They didn't have killer instinct. They didn't make it past the bloodbath. I cried for both of them, because nether of them deserved to be put into that arena and forced to kill others or be murdered.

Peeta knocks me out of my thoughts when he asks Haymitch, "What's the plan? What do we do?"

I grin then roll my eyes, knowing exactly how Haymitch will respond. And just like expected, Haymitch snorts-laughs, "Stay alive."

"That's great advice." Peeta mumbles, looking down at his feet.

"Well I said it to this one," Haymitch points at me, "And she's alive right now, isn't she?"

Peeta doesn't know what to say to that, so he just keeps his head hung low. I sigh, no grin, smirk, or smile on my face. It isn't really my time of the year to be smiling. I hate this time of year, and that will never change. I also hate it when Haymitch sits next to me, because the smell of alcohol is extremely strong and it makes my head hurt. I have had alcohol before, but not much. Certainly not as much as Haymitch consumes.

We go into a different car with a large television in it, and I already know what we're doing. We end up watching the recap of the reapings, and everything goes as I thought. District 1, both volunteers. District 2, both volunteers, both with evil grins on their faces. Cato will be pleased. District 3, no volunteers. District 4, a volunteer for the girls, but not one for the small boy on the other side. Finnick isn't going to be too happy. Then there are no more volunteers, but the District 7 tributes look strong enough. Johanna can work with that.

I see the girl from District 11. She has dark skin and big brown eyes, and short, dark brown hair. She's only twelve, and she reminds me so much of Prim. I think her name's Rue. Rue is a small yellow flower that grows in the meadow. Rue. Primrose. Neither of them could tip the scale at seventy pounds soaking wet.

Then when I watch the District 12 reapings, I sigh. Peeta and Madge won't enjoy watching this. I watch as Madge's name is read, and Effie looks a little more than shocked on the stage. Of course she would know the officials, even the ones in twelve. But she puts her mask back on. I see Madge, and no fear or shock is on her face, she looks exactly like she would on any normal day, just strolling up to the stage and taking her place. I see the mayor's face, and tears are building up in his eyes, but he manages to contain them.

Then when Peeta is reaped, the shock on his face is very visible. He walks up to the stage, fear written across his face. Who can blame him? It's the Hunger Games. I expect the tributes that are not Career tributes to be terrified, or have no hope at all.

Madge and Peeta shake hands, then are whisked away to the Justice Building to say goodbye to there families. The Capitol seal appears on the screen, and then Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith begin chatting about this year's tributes. They mention a lot about the Careers, then they finally end up talking about District 12. They say that as soon as they heard "Undersee," they knew who it was. They also say that she didn't have the normal expression - fear - on her face, but that she looked almost bored. They barely say anything about Peeta, then it's soon over.

Then we eat dinner, then after Madge has had some, she says she's tired and I get her an avox to take her to her room for the night. Soon, Peeta's tired, and I send an avox to show him where he'll be sleeping for the night. I leave as well to get some sleep before the gates of Hell open. I slip under the covers in my underwear, and shut my eyes tight.

I don't know if I can deal with Cato's smug expression tomorrow. His tributes may be clinically insane, but mine are smart, and a lot of Careers have died in the past because they were so very simple minded and over confident.

I think I can face smug, little Cato. Because he won't be so smug for long.

* * *

**I'll say this once. Cato will be in the next chapter, I promise that. Kind of. **

**I hope you liked this chapter and I quoted the Hunger Games! "Rue is a small yellow flower that grows in the meadow. Rue. Primrose. Neither of them could tip the scale at seventy pounds soaking wet."**

**I liked the quote, and I also really like the song Overload by Dot Rotten - It's really good, I listened to it while writing this chapter. If you can, PLEASE REVIEW! They really make my day, they're like little rays of sunshine shining through the dark clouds that cover my day. PLEASE REVIEW AND FAV AND STUFF LIKE THAT!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Overload**

_Masters of the system _

_They make the decisions _

_We're programmed to obey _

_We're programmed to listen _

_The masses are the victims _

_They got us in this prison _

_So now my heads spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload _

_They want us to do as we're told _

_Distract us from the truth so we can lose as they grow _

_I put my life on the line that's just to let you know _

_Head spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload _

~Overload, Dot Rotten

**Overload**

**Chapter 3: Diamonds And Cato**

I wake up to Effie's high pitched voice, telling me that I need to get up and ready for another 'big, big, big, day!' I sigh, and sit up as I hear Effie leave the room. I put on the dress I was wearing the day prior, because like Madge, I'I'll be thrown into something made by Cinna, while Peeta will be put into something made by Cinna's partner, Portia. Once it's on, I notice something shining on it. I smile as I discover what it is.

It's my mockingjay pin. The one Madge gave me in the Justice Building before I went into my games two years ago. And now I know, I owe her more than I think. She stopped Prim from ending up getting a whipping once. Prim told me about it.

It happened two months after my victory tour, when I had went back out hunting after I had collected some strawberries. We had the money to buy things from the butchers, but it was nothing compared to the things and animals I caught in the woods. It just wasn't the same, and having some normalcy wasn't bad at all, was it? When I dropped off the strawberries, Prim offered to go sell them to the mayor to get some money for Gale's family, and I told her to be careful.

I regret letting her go alone. I think, if Madge wasn't home for some reason, Prim might have died. I doubt her frail body would have been able to take the force of the whip - maybe once or twice, but not the amount of lashes you get if you are found with something that is obviously from the woods. She couldn't of went to the mayor's house at a worse time. She went to go sell the strawberries to the mayor the day one of the newer and more strict peacekeeper had come to visit the mayor and his family.

Prim knocked on the door and, luckily, Madge answered it. Prim said that Madge looked terrified when she saw the strawberries in the small pot she carried them in. A peacekeeper was coming to the door, and that was when Prim realized she was in trouble. Madge quickly grabbed the pot of strawberries and covered it in a large cloth that could cover up the sweet smell coming from the red fruits. Madge placed the pot against the outside wall of the house, out of the peacekeeper's sight.

"What is she doing here?" The peacekeeper had asked.

"Oh, she was just telling me something about my friend, her sister." Madge answered. Prim said that Madge didn't even look slightly worried.

The peacekeeper didn't look like he believed it, but he didn't say anything more. He then left, walking by Prim. Madge ushered Prim inside and grabbed the pot of strawberries.

The mayor was there, "Primrose, that isn't the reason your here, is it?" He asks, indicating towards the pot.

She shook her head and the mayor smiled. "I'I'll buy the strawberries, Primrose."

She smiled then she thanked Madge, even though Madge said it was nothing I don't think it was. She did, in fact, stop Prim from getting a whipping when Prim was only ten-years-old. There is no way I'd ever forgive myself if little Prim had gotten a whipping. I never would have forgiven myself. And because of Madge answering the door before the peacekeeper did, I never had to witness her getting whipped, because she never did.

I walk into the dining car and see Peeta and Madge sitting there, no Effie or Haymitch around. Great, I think. I have to tell two people who are very important to me how to kill each other in an arena on national television. Well, Madge knows some stuff, and Peeta is really strong, so it isn't going to be that hard. Is it?

I sit down and collect some food that is in front of me. I grab some bread and I see some wine and figure, what the hell? Nice breakfast, I think. I take a sip of the wine and notice Peeta and Madge looking at me expectantly.

I sigh, "What do you want to know first?"

"What do we do in the Capitol?" Madge asks, glancing out of the window.

"Well, you have to seem excited and honored to be there. Smile, wave, they eat that sort of stuff up." They both nod in response.

"What about the stylists?" Peeta questions.

"Well, Madge, you'I'll be getting my stylist, Cinna. And Peeta, you'I'll be getting his partner, Portia. For your prep teams, let them do whatever they have to do. The same with Cinna and Portia. Trust me when I say they know what they're doing."

"The arena?" He asks.

"Don't go towards the Cornucopia. The chances are that if you do that, you'I'll end up in the bloodbath. Sometimes the supplies and weapons are scattered, take something you can use that's close to you, then run." I pause as they both nod, their blonde hair moving with them. "Anything else?"

Peeta pauses before answering, "How do you kill?"

I gulp, not knowing how to answer it. I might have to go with the hard way of answering, but it's true. Madge doesn't seem to be as concerned as Peeta, and she shouldn't, but she is listening intently because she still needs to know. I helped her develop her hunting skills, and part of surviving in the arena is being a hunter.

I look down, then look up at Peeta. "Um, it's a life or death situation. I just thought about how much my family needs me, that's how I managed." He nods, thinking I'm finished but I'm not. "At the end of the day, everyone has killer instincts. And every child has murderous impulses, but in the arena you have to act on those impulses."

Suddenly, over cheery Effie jumps into the dining car, Haymitch not far behind her. Effie literally squeals. "We'I'll be in the Capitol in a few minutes!"

"Scared yet?" Haymitch asks, sitting down and reaching for the bottle of wine. I stop him by swatting his arm away. I whisper, "No. You're staying sober. Or I swear to God Haymitch, you don't even want to know what I'll do."

"Not really." Madge mumbles, answering Haymitch's question.

"Really?" Peeta asks, obviously worried. He probably thinks she has no skills at anything. As much as I hate to think this, she can use that against him and the other tributes.

"It's simple. I live or I die. I don't like the odds, but I'm not scared." She takes a bite out of some bread.

I hear cheering outside of the train, and before I can stop them, Peeta and Madge are rushing towards the window. They look at the city, fascination flooding their blue eyes. I don't like it, but when you see the Capitol for the first time, you can't help but be amazed.

Peeta and Madge are waving at the Capitol citizens, and smiling. Madge is blowing them kisses, and I swear I see someone faint. Well, people do know who she is, that would probably be the only reason. I look over at Haymitch and a smug expression is on face.

"Maybe I was wrong." He whispers, "They might have a chance."

* * *

It's the Opening Ceremonies, and I'm waiting for Madge and Peeta to emerge from their rooms in the Remake Centre. I'm still The Girl On Fire, so I'm wearing an orange and yellow dress, that when I move, looks like a flame from a candle. No matter what Peeta and Madge wear, I'I'll still wear my flames. Cinna is truly amazing. My hair is in my trademark side braid. I have my mockingjay pin on the dress as well.

Cinna emerges from the room with Madge first, and I'm surprised to say the least. She's wearing a navy blue jumpsuit - which fades into black at her wrists, her neck, and her shins - encrusted with diamonds. Diamonds running around the neck and down the arms and legs, meeting her knee high boots - which are silver - with strips of black, silver, navy blue, and light blue down the back of the boots. Her blonde hair is not tied up, but is running down her back, radiating. She has a black crown on her head, with small diamonds going all the way around it.

There is a very large diamond on the front, and I know she will be noticed. She doesn't really have any make-up on. Apart from some highlights and flecks of silver, she doesn't have any other make-up on.

"Nice?" She asks.

"Yeah. One thing though." I remove my pin from my dress and pin it to a slip - that was designed for something like a pin - that is surrounded by a small circle of diamonds on her jumpsuit. She looks at me, shocked, but I smile and just shake my head at her. "You gave it to me once, I'm giving it back."

"You don't have to-"

"You're wearing it, because I wore it when you gave it to me, so you're going to wear it now."

Portia emerges with Peeta, wearing a jumpsuit that is identical to Madge's, except his headpiece is a a black miners helmet, with a diamond in front of an extremely bright light, sending rays of light shining through the diamond. Portia escorts Peeta and Madge to the chariots and before Cinna can follow, I grab his arm, a questioning look on my face.

"Diamonds?" "Yes diamonds. Because of pressure." He smirks when I become even more confused."Pressure can turn a lump of coal into a flawless diamond," He stops then his smirk grows wider, "Or an average person into a perfect basketcase." I laugh, then he walks towards where Peeta, Portia, and Madge went and I make my way to the mentor's balcony.

Haymitch is already there and talking to Johanna and Finnick. Finnick looks over to me and wraps his arms around me. "Well if it isn't my little Flame. Did you miss me?" He asks as he pulls away, but I just roll my eyes.

"Oh, it was unbearable Finnick!" I reply, sarcastically.

"Oh, it must have been. It's hard to go a year without seeing this," Finnick gestures to himself and I smirk at him.

Johanna looks at me, smirking. "Flame, how lovely to see you here."

"Same. Do you like your tributes?" I ask her, tilting my head slightly in an innocent way.

"They're very nice. So no, I don't. They won't last long." She grumbles.

I laugh, "No skills at all, huh?"

She shakes her head. "None at all, yours?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

"Blonde boy's coming." He states, and I whip around to see Cato standing behind me, grinning. He's wearing a dark blue suit and a lighter shade for his shirt. I roll my eyes at him when he drags me over to the railing of the balcony, to look at the tributes when they will roll out in a few minutes.

"Well, if it isn't Firegirl." He tilts his head at me.

"Well, if it isn't Blondie." I mimic his tone of voice. "If you're going to start bragging about your tributes, start before mine out shine yours."

"I doubt it. Yours aren't special, they don't have any skills. Especially the mayor's daughter."

I smirk. "Well, aren't you going to be pleasantly surprised."

"Mine are trained killers." He states.

"And so were the ones you got last year and my year, but they're not here, now are they?" I grin at him, and I know I've won this one.

"The ones you got last year aren't-"

I cut him off. "They weren't trained killers, Cato."

"Neither are the ones you have this year." He mumbles, turning his attention to the city's street, where the chariots will roll down, then stop outside of President Snow's mansion.

"I've known both of them for a while. I think you may have underestimated them already."

"Probably. But I don't care. I'm not sure if my tributes will last till the final three." He says, sighing.

"How so?"

"They're over confident. They'I'll end up in an open area, hunting tributes and getting themselves killed. Well, at least Clove will. Liator will last a little longer." He pauses, "What do you mean I 'I'll be pleasantly surprised?"

I grin at him, "You'll just have to wait and see." I look back out to the city and see the doors of the Centre open. "The chariots are coming."

District 1 is dressed in some pink feather thing. District 2 are dressed like Gladiators, golden gladiators. The rest of the tributes fly by and by the time District 12 come out of the doors, the crowd is screaming. The diamonds are truly amazing. They're shining so brightly it's hard to take your eyes off of them. Madge and Peeta are smiling and waving. Madge is blowing kisses and some of the citizens are trying to dive for them, to catch them as if they're objects they can hold.

I see that another thing noticeable on Madge, is the mockingjay pin. It shines very brightly against the light gleaming from her many diamonds. Peeta's head lamp is really bright. I swear, Prim back in District 12 can probably see it out of the window.

"Why are they in diamonds?" Cato asks.

Cinna's words echo in my mind. "Pressure can turn a lump of coal into a flawless diamond." I pause, looking back out at my tributes who have pulled up in front of President Snow's mansion. "Or an average person into a perfect basketcase." Cato looks over at me and rolls his eyes, and I smirk at him.

"Very funny, Firegirl." He mumbles.

"I think you need a drink."

"What?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"My tributes out shone yours. Drink something." I grin, walking over to a table filled with food and drink. I take two glasses and pour a small amount of red wine into the glasses.

"I've never had alcohol." He admits.

"Seriously? It's good." I state, taking a sip from my glass.

I hand him a glass and he takes a sip. He nods, then ends up drinking it all, very quickly. I say, "I wouldn't drink it that fast, unless you want to see it in reverse."

"Well that's nice."

I glance over my shoulder to see the tributes disappear into the Training Centre, and I decide this is a good time to leave. Haymitch leaves a few minutes before me, and as I walk away I feel Cato's icy eyes on me.

But I don't mind.

* * *

**This looked longer when I wrote it. I used a different part of the song Overload for this chapter, I thought that it fits this better than the intro and chorus for it.**

**And yes! CATO IS IN THIS CHAPTER! SO YOU CAN ALL, AS MY BEST FRIEND - NIAMH - SAYS, CHILL YOUR BEANS! PUT THEM IN THE FRIDGE AND CHILL THEM!**

**That was normal... Thanks for thr reviews! If you read Shake It Out, I've started writing the next chapter after having wriiters block for a few days.**

**I hope you liked this chapter! If you can, PLEASE REVIEW AND FAV! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Overload **

_Masters of the system _

_They make the decisions _

_We're programmed to obey _

_We're programmed to listen _

_The masses are the victims _

_They got us in this prison _

_So now my heads spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload _

_They want us to do as we're told _

_Distract us from the truth so we can lose as they grow _

_I put my life on the line that's just to let you know _

_Heads spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload _

~Overload, Dot Rotten

**Overload **

**Chapter 4: Training Tributes And Rebellious Talk**

I wake up early in the morning. Today is when Peeta and Madge begin training for the games. Last night, when we had dinner, I told them not to show off their skills. Peeta tried to object to say he doesn't have any skills as to which Madge said he was strong, and that it's best to not let the other tributes discover that. I think Peeta, after that moment, began to think over why Madge didn't say anything about skills.

She does have a skill set in hunting. But Peeta doesn't know that, so I'm worried that he will try hard to figure out what Madge's skills are. I told them to go to the stations that they don't have any experience in, so they can learn. I told them to go to the edible plant section, because that's what a lot of tributes die of. Actually, a lot of tributes die of natural causes. Eating poisonous plants and berries, dehydration, starvation.

They used to die from freezing to death, but now some tributes die when they light a fire to keep themselves warm and end up being spotted by other tributes. It's an idiotic mistake, really, but children who have no experience in that type of situation, know no better.

Some Careers go down by natural causes, because they are only trained in the art of killing. When I was training for the games, I never once saw a Career go over to an edible plants section. They only think that they'll just have to kill the other competitors to win, but to do that, they have to be able to live long enough to hunt down other tributes. Sometimes I wonder why people fear the Careers, because a lot of the time, the smart tributes last longer than the Careers.

I climb out of the bed and walk over to the large wardrobe. It has a large amount of dresses and pants, so I just take some tight, brown colored pants, and slide into them. I take a green, soft shirt, with sleeves that goes just past my elbow and pull it on.

I walk out of my room and make my way to the dining room, where I find Madge, in her tribute training outfit, eating some orange soup with bread. She puts on a small smile, then goes back to dipping the bread into the soup before taking a bite out of it. I take a seat opposite her then chose my food. I take three small rolls of bread and two hand fulls of strawberries. I pour myself a glass of some fizzy liquid, I believe is lemonade, and drink a small bit of it. I take a bite out of the roll, then I take a sip from the lemonade.

"You didn't tell Peeta about your skills, did you?"

She shakes her head. "No."

I nod, then I look between Madge and my breakfast. "Are you worried?" I ask, looking directly at her.

"Not really. I'm just kind of worried about the Careers."

"Don't. They aren't as scary as they build themselves up to be. They're over confident. Well, the ones from Two are. Especially the girl, Clove."

"What about the Careers from One?"

I reply. "Well, the boy, Marvel, looks like an idiot. And the girl, Glimmer, is a bimbo."

She smiles at me and shakes her head. "You know, sometimes I really like your opinions of people."

"Because my opinions are correct. Which means they're facts." She just shakes her head. "Well, it's true! Glimmer is a bimbo!" She starts laughing, and then I realize just how loud I said that. I can only hope Glimmer, on the first floor, heard it. If only I were that lucky.

But alas, Glimmer did not hear. But Peeta has woken up and is dressed in his tribute training outfit. He slowly walks into the room and takes a seat at the dining table, next to Madge. She glances over at him, but she just shrugs and continues with her hot breakfast. Peeta glances at me and picks up a bowl filled with fruits and vegetables to make a salad. I remember just how hard it will be to see either him, Madge, or both of them die.

But there's no way to stop it, no matter how much I want it to. The only thing that will make me feel slightly better - which seems to be almost impossible - is by training them as well as I can before they have to fight for their lives in the arena. Peeta interrupts my thoughts, by saying. "So what do we do?"

"Well," I start, sipping my lemonade. "When you get to the training room, try to learn some things. How to handle a sword, how to throw a knife, how to swing a mace, the list goes on. Just don't forget to go to the fire making station, knot tying station, and the edible plant station. Maybe even the camouflage station."

"Okay..." He looks questioningly, then he asks, "What about allies?"

I shake my head at him. "Alliances are never good. Most of the time, people in an alliance eventually turn on each other. It isn't the best option." He nods and continues eating his breakfast. I'm not sure if I want them to show their strengths, but I have decided that they can make their own decision on that. I finish my breakfast, and only have my drink left, so I slowly drink it, waiting for that time when the two tributes will have to leave to go to training.

Soon, Effie comes to escort them to the training room. They are about to leave, but I quickly say something to them. "Don't show your strengths straight away. Don't go to the thing you are best at unless you need to prove yourself." Madge and Peeta nod, then Effie happily escorts them out of the room, directly heading for the training room.

I decide to go down to a Capitol meeting - more like a party - later on, but for now, I think I'll spend some time on the roof. I leave this room and head towards the stairs to the roof, walking at an even pace. I climb the stairs, slowly, then soon I feel fresh air hit my face. I close the door behind me, and take a deep breath. It can make me feel claustrophobic, in the building all day, so coming to the roof is a welcome change to the dark building.

I sit down on the roof's surface, sighing as I do so. This is the second most exhausting thing I have done, the first being going into the Hunger Games. I see a small stone next to me, and I have an idea to pass time. I pick it up, and throw it forward. It bounces back, it bounces of off the force field. I catch it in my right hand, and continue to throw it. Eventually, I hear the door to the roof open and turn my head to see who it is.

Standing there, is Blondie. He's wearing a black T-shirt and grey sweat pants. I sigh, then turn my head back to the force field. I throw the stone at the force field, and catch it once more. Suddenly, there is a person sitting next to me. What a surprise, It's Blondie. "Are you stalking me, or something?" I say.

He chuckles. "Now what would make you think that, Firegirl?"

"Following people around is normally what makes someone a stalker."

"I don't follow you around." He states.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Blondie." I say, rolling my eyes.

I look out at the Capitol rooftops, and slowly drift into a world of my own. The Capitol has done so many things, and none have really been good. They send children into an arena to fight to the death for their entertainment, because of a rebellion that happened seventy-four years ago. And the rebellion was started by District 13, which no longer exists. It was more their fault, and the other districts are made to pay for it.

It still confuses me why they thought the Hunger Games would be a good idea, but I can't question it out loud. I keep these types of questions too myself, not wanting anyone else knowing what I think, what goes on in my head. I like the privacy that my mind gives me even though, sometimes, it can irritate me. But I appreciate it, it makes me, me. So I am thankful for it, but not having anyone to talk to about my problems isn't that good.

"So, your tributes..." He starts.

I roll my eyes at him and sigh. "What about them?"

"What can they do, that you're not telling me?" He turns, and smirks at me.

"I'm not going to tell you."

"And just, why not?" He asks, tilting his head at me.

"Because, you'll tell your tributes." I explain, pushing a hand through my hair. "And, you can't be trusted."

"I'm offended, Katniss." He says, placing a hand on his chest as if he's actually physically hurt. But he's obviously not.

"Wounded, even?" I offer, smirking.

"_Hurt_, Katniss." He puts a lot of emphasis into 'Hurt'.

I start giggling at him, and he just smiles. I don't think I have seen him smile, a real smile, not a grin or a smirk, that much. He doesn't smile very often, he only does it when he is truly happy. Well, it's much better than angry Cato, so I can get on board with it.

"You said you knew both of your tributes for a while. How?"

I sigh. "Which one first?"

"The mayor's daughter." He says, looking out at the Capitol.

"Her name is Madge." I say, harsher than intended.

"Whatever..." He mutters.

I roll my eyes once more, then I begin. "She's one of my closest friends. We didn't really talk much at school, so we drifted together." I pause, thinking of how much I can tell him. "She gave me the mockingjay pin for my games, and I gave it back to her, this year." I look down and mutter, "She stopped Prim from getting a whipping once..."

"What about the boy?" He questions.

"Well, Peeta saved my life." I begin, and Cato raises one of his eyebrows so I continue. "I was eleven-years-old, right after my father had died. My family and I were starving to death, and I was so desperate. I was walking through the streets in the rain and I saw the bakery, and I was going through the bins, their rotten stuff." I sigh, then continue. "His mother saw me and started telling me to leave that she was sick of filth like me going through her stuff, old or new."

I continue. "I went to the back of the bakery, and sat against a tree, when there was a loud crash, I saw his mother come outside and hit him because he burned some bread. When his mother went back inside, instead of feeding the pigs, he threw it to me."

I sighed, a frustrated sigh. "I really don't know what to do about them."

He nodded, looking rather confused. "So, are you having trouble deciding which one to help the most?"

I nod. It still confuses me that, even though he may not understand, he can still manage to figure out what I'm talking about, what I mean. "At the end of the day, I can only get one of them out of the arena." I finish, moving to look down at the shimmering streets of the Capitol. It infuriates me how the people of the Capitol celebrate the Hunger Games, how they treat it as a annual partly coming every year from the farthest reaches of the districts.

He leans next to me and whispers in my ear, "Maybe they both can get out."

I shoot back, my face blessed with confusion and curiosity all mixed into one. "What do you mean?" I ask curiously.

He sighs. "You started something the year you won your games. By playing the game on your own terms, refusing to kill your ally. Lee, was it?" I nod, sadly. Lee was a boy from District 12, one year older than me, making him fifteen. He had dark brown, short hair, and grey Seam eyes. He was a lot stronger than he looked; he had muscles only slightly bigger than me, but he was incredibly strong, and that paid off. I didn't kill him, actually, he almost gave up hope on the train ride to the Capitol. He told me he didn't stand a chance on the train, which I said I wouldn't be the only one fighting for District 12.

We became allies in the arena. I recall that the arena was woods, fields, and mountains covered by snow. It was extremely cold, and it turned the lakes with water into ice. There were only freezing cold streams and the ice cold rain, that you could find to drink. The clothes we were given to wear in the arena were shades of white. Obviously, the Capitol wanted the Hunger Games to last a while. And they lasted two and a half weeks.

I remember how me and Lee became allies...

_It's the third day of the games, and I'm even surprised I could run to the Cornucopia quickly enough to get my bow and arrows, a knife, and this white backpack. The food in it is keeping me going, there's a surprising amount in it for it's relatively small size. I walk silently through the snowy woods, attempting to move without leaving any really visible tracks. I have killed two tributes; Zara from District 4 and Forrest from District 7. Forrest, is a boy tribute from District 7, while Zara is a girl Career from District 4. _

_I ran into Forrest yesterday, and he had a mace. He threw it through the air, aiming for my head, but I quickly dodged it and sent an arrow whizzing into his skull. It was a painless death, it was the least he deserved. I woke up in my tree this morning to find Zara asleep at the bottom of it. She obviously didn't get into an alliance with the other Careers, for some reason. I climbed down the tree and I slit her throat. I didn't want to watch it, so I walked away, and I didn't look back. _

_Suddenly, I hear some rustling. I load my bow and turn to the direction the noise is coming from. Then I see him, emerging from the trees with a backpack slung over his shoulder, and a knife in his hand. Lee Falcon, my district partner. He looks shocked, but then he lowers his knife and sighs sadly. _

_He stands there impatiently. "Go on." He stops his voice full of fury mixed with sadness. "Kill me. I mean if you don't the Careers will." _

_Then something comes to me. Alliance. The Careers (apart from Zara, obviously) are in an alliance. They band together to kill the other tributes then eventually turn on each other. But that doesn't happen with all of the alliances there have been. I lower my bow. "They... They're not the only ones who can have allies." _

_Lee looks at me, surprised. "You want to ally with me?" _

_I nod, then take a deep breath before answering as obviously shocked Lee. "You said on the train that you didn't have a chance. But you will with me." _

_He nods, then a new wave of confusion washes over him. "What's in it for you?" _

_"The flame and the fire working together to win it, for their families and District 12." I explain, a weak smile gracing my lips. _

_He returns it before stepping forward, holding his hand out to shake, "So, allies then." _

_I smile then shake his hand. "Allies."_

Lee died in my arms, the girl from one, called Sparkle, shot him with two poisonous darts when I was out, looking for anything useful we could use. I said he could have came with me, but he didn't. He stayed at our small camp, guarding it. But Sparkle still got him, and the poison in the darts were made to slowly kill you. And Lee died, in my arms, and I decorated him in bluebells, - even though the arena was covered in snow, somehow bluebells still managed to grow - to show how good and strong he was and could have been. If this didn't happen.

He told me they were his favorite flowers. It was the least he deserved, a respectful send off. It makes me sad to think about him. We were more alike than I first thought. He was a really good person. And I will never forget him.

"Well, when you buried him in the bluebells covered in snow, something started in the districts, and it's been close to coming out." Cato whispers.

I pause for a minute. "What's started?"

An evil smile appears on his face and he looks happy about it. He whispers, with amazement in his voice, "A rebellion."

* * *

**Okay I know it's not good but it took me ages! I hope you liked it! I really do. **

**I had one of the weirdest arguements today with my best friend Niamh. It was about The Hunge Games, and bread. She only read the beginning because I let her borrow it put she doesn't really read books that thick. She told me it was mostly about bread and I said it wasn't, there was only a boy named after pita bread, Peeta. Then she started saying that it was mention a lot and _that was bread!_ I started taking the mic out of her by saying that he had a sister called whole wheat, and a brother called rye. Then she said "really!" And I just couldn't believe it.**

**Sorry about that rant. PLEASE REVIEW! IT MAKES ME AND YOU REVIEWERS FEEL AMAZING. I hope you liked it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Overload**

Masters of the system

They make the decisions

We're programmed to obey

We're programmed to listen

The masses are the victims

They got us in this prison

So now my heads spinning

Heads spinning

It's a overload

They want us to do as we're told

Distract us from the truth so we can lose as they grow

I put my life on the line that's just to let you know

Heads spinning

Heads spinning

It's a overload

~Overload, Dot Rotten

**Overload **

**Chapter 5: Talking**

I'm shocked to say the least. A rebellion? There hasn't been a rebellion in seventy-four years, and we all know how that ended... What happens if this rebellion will end like the last one? There is nothing the Capitol could create that was worse than the Hunger Games. Could they?

"What?" I whisper-shout.

He rolls his eyes at me. "You heard me."

"I did, but, what? Why would you, of all people, be happy about this?" I whispered.

Cato sighs. "Ever since my games, I never liked what the Capitol did-does. I thought that the Hunger Games were something that could be enjoyed and something to take pride in winning. It's not." He pauses for a few seconds, while I nod my head, taking it all in. "So, when people saw you. The strong girl from Twelve who would do anything for the people she loves, they knew something would happen. Just by you getting revenge on the girl from one after she killed Lee, that was when things started to get real."

"What do you mean 'real'?" I question him.

Cato whispers, "It was when the rebellion got real."

"So, why are you telling me this?"

He smirks, and tilts his head at me."No offense. But you're the one who started a lot of it. I thought it would be important for the person who started something like that to know." Cato shakes his head at me in some sort of fake-disappointment.

"Well, excuse me for being so inconsiderate." I say sarcastically.

His smirk disappears and he narrows his eyes at me. "Katniss, this is serious. I mean that. This is something much bigger than we can handle. Definatly something you alone wouldn't be able to handle." He finishes, glancing out at the Capitol once more.

I don't really understand any of this, at all. But Cato must know something. "Who started it up?"

"The last district you would expect." He whispers, obviously fearful of the cameras that loom over the Capitol.

"And what one is that?"

Cato leans into my ear and whispers the district to me. "District 13."

"What?" I whisper-shout.

"They didn't get blown up. Well, they did. But they live underground." He explains, quietly. I'm actually really surprised. I didn't think that there would ever be another rebellion after what the last one caused. On the other hand, could it really get worse than what it already is? I doubt it. Sacrificing children for their own entertainment might be one of the worst things the Capitol could think of to do to the districts of Panem.

"And how do you know?"

"Because I'm part of the rebellion, Katniss." He says, almost completely silently.

"So... You've been there before?" I curiously ask.

"Yep." He answers popping the 'p'.

The rebellion is obviously not just a few people with a pure hatred for the Capitol. It's something that probably could be compared to the Dark Days. All of the districts rebelling against the Capitol, fighting for their freedom, for their right to live their lives as they like. If the rebellion succeeded, Panem would be a livable place. I like that idea. For a woman not to be scared to have children because of the reaping; the Hunger Games. For twenty-three mothers to not have to watch their child die violently in an arena.

It would be a much better place to live if the rebellion prevails. Well, that's the least I would expect from the rebellion. But I believe that the rebellion couldn't bring anything worse than what already goes on now. Confined by the Capitol, forced to kill twenty-three children every year and forced to watch it. We're like animals trapped in a cage, with no escape, with no getting away, with no way to get out of the Capitol's grasp.

Ruled by the Capitol. Forever a piece in their games.

"It's been three years since you went into the games. It's been two years for me." I say quietly. I turn to him, and he's looking at me with sad eyes. "It never-We'll always be one piece in their games. It never ends, does it?" I say, sadness filling my voice.

Cato shakes his head. As quietly as possible, he whispers, "It will. It can end."

"You can't be sure though."

His next sentence sends a small shiver up my spine. "I can. You know what I'm capable of."

"We still have to get our tributes sponsors. I have to go to a party meeting thing later on." I explain.

"I could come with you."

"Trying to take the sponsors away for yours?"

"No, District 2 always gets sponsors even without the mentor doing anything." Cato explains, and I nod along. "Brutus can take care of the sponsors." He mumbles. "Anyway, I thought you would want some company." He smiles at me, head tilted, trying to look cute. It's working.

"I guess-"

"It's better with me, than with them." He says 'them' with venom laced in his voice.

I sigh. "Fine. But don't even try to steal sponsors from me." I speak directly at him. He hasn't stolen sponsors from me before, but he is one of the mentors for District 2, he will get a lot of sponsors throwing their money at him so they can feed their precious little killing machines. They like having their Careers alive so they see a lot more gruesome deaths and extremely violent showdowns and bloody battles, for their own entertainment.

"I won't. When is it, anyway?"

"Seven." I reply.

"Okay, I'll come to your floor?" He asks.

"Yes." I nod.

He nods, then he hurriedly gets to his feet and vanishes out if my sight, down the stairs and to the elevator. I lie down, facing the sky above and I always have memories or flashbacks looking up at the sky. I don't even know why.

_I lie on the roof of the Training Centre, staring at the stars above me, hoping I won't cry. I won the Hunger Games, I should be happy, right? Well, I'm not. I watched a friend die in front of me. Lee wasn't a friend at first, but he grew on me. More like he snuck up on me. He had a habit of doing that. Lee, it means shelter from the wind. I notice that I feel no breeze sweeping across the roof like it constantly did before the I can think is that Lee is sheltering me from the wind. _

_He was kind. He didn't deserve it. I killed the District 1 girl in cold blood because she made Lee have a slow and painful death. Revenge is sweet, but it's nothing compared to just being able to see them, or hear their voice again. It may be upsetting, but it's true. A part of me is at peace with Lee being dead, because at least now he's in a better place. No matter where he is, it has to be much better than this. _

_I say it all of the time now, I've said it since I left the arena. The real victors of the games are the ones who never leave the arena. Because they don't have to be a part of the Capitol's games anymore, they don't have to be a piece on a chessboard. They aren't forced to do anything anymore by the Capitol. The ones who never leave can finally be at peace. They should now, as the Capitol doesn't have a firm grip constantly around their throats. _

_"Congratulations." All of a sudden, I hear an unfamiliar voice. I snap my head around to see him. I know him. It's Cato from District 2, who won last years games. The victor of the seventy-second Hunger Games. His blond hair is spiked up, and he's wearing a dark blue suit. He's tall, that's the first thing I notice. But one detail that stands out most to me, is the fact that he's not smirking. I've seen him smirking and being cocky, but not the way he looks now. _

_"Don't congratulate me. It doesn't feel like an honor." I flick my head back to gaze at the stars once more. Without a word, he sits down next to me. He doesn't say anything, but he just gazes out at the glittering streets of the Capitol. _

_"It isn't an honor." He agrees. _

_"I would of thought you would of been calling me weak for being upset." I mutter, staring at one of the only visible stars in the sky. _

_"I don't blame you." He sighs then stands. "Katniss." He gets my attention, "It doesn't get any easier." _

_"It doesn't. It won't get better, either." I say._

_"__It will one day, Katniss. You have my word on that." Then he leaves. _

_I can't help but wonder what he means by that._

I don't know how long I have actually been on the roof. A long time, by the looks of it. I don't know exactly how long, but probably more than a couple of hours. Without hesitation, I get to my feet and run in the doors to the stairs, in search of Cinna.

I'll need to go back to being the Girl On Fire for the meeting with sponsors. They do like fire.

* * *

**Short chapter, but I havn't updated in a bit, so I decided to quickly whip up the end of this one. I have my reasons for not updating. I'm actually a very slow writer, I couldn't think of anything for this one, and I've been busy writing a book. A book about rebellion, I'm no where near finished, but it's called Sia 21. **

**For Shake It Out readers, I should be able to get another chapter up in the next couple of days, because I finally worked out what I'm writing for it.**

**I would really apreciate it if you reviewed. It makes my bad day much better. So PLEASE REVIEW! AND THANX FOR READING!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Overload**

_Masters of the system _

_They make the decisions _

_We're programmed to obey _

_We're programmed to listen _

_The masses are the victims _

_They got us in this prison _

_So now my heads spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload _

_They want us to do as we're told _

_Distract us from the truth so we can lose as they grow _

_I put my life on the line that's just to let you know _

_Heads spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload _

_~Overload, Dot Rotten_

**Overload**

**Chapter 6: Meeting with the Sponsors**

I'm at the meeting with the sponsors, and I couldn't be more confused. Well, confused probably isn't the word for it. More like a mixture of frustrated and slightly confused. I'm used to these meetings, kind of. It's mostly wealthy Capitol people stuffing their faces and getting drunk. I can occasionally get one to give up their money to sponsor the tributes. I don't know why, but I've learned that the sponsors are more willing to sponsor Madge than Peeta.

Maybe it's because they might know more about Madge than Peeta. Or it could be the fact that if they ask what she can do, I just tell them that they'd have to wait and see with a knowing smile on my face. That gets them to sponsor Madge, at least. I have managed to wrangle a few of the Capitol citizens to sponsor Peeta. I say that he is stronger than he looks, and that he's hiding something. The Capitol can't resist finding out secrets.

What Cinna put me in is beautiful, as always. It's a strapless, knee length dress, which starts dark red at the bottom but fades into a smoky grey. Fire and smoke. What Cinna gives me to wear is always amazing.

I wonder how Madge and Peeta are doing in training. Madge won't be doing archery since I instructed her not to, and Peeta will be staying away from weights so he can't show off his strength. They'll probably be trying something they don't know that much of. Like knife throwing, or other weapons really. They'll have visited the edible plants station. That station is crucial for surviving, tributes always die from poisonous plants.

A slightly taller than me woman - who appears to be in her early thirties - with red hair and a plain black dress walks up to me, and puts her hand out to me. "Katniss Everdeen, what a pleasure. I'm Lavender Cleeve."

I shake her hand and put on my famous fake smile. "It's lovely to meet you Miss Cleeve."

"You can call me Lavender. Now, can we discuss the tributes?" She questions, and I nod my head.

"Of course we can. Which one, Peeta Mellark or Madge Undersee?"

"Both." She answers, and a smile graces her lips. "Now give me some hints."

I clear my throat, preparing to speak. "Well, Peeta. Peeta is remarkably strong, much stronger than what he looks like he does. And he has a secret skill that he's hiding." He is hiding a skill. Well, to the sponsors. He mentioned something about doing the icing for the cakes in the bakery and that he is very good at art, so he should be very good at camouflage.

"Interesting," Lavender says, "What about the diamond?"

"Excuse me?" I ask, confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. That's what everyone has been calling Madge Undersee." Lavender explains, a small smile on her face.

"Oh, well, Madge, she will surprise you." I state.

"What do you mean by that?" She questions, curiously.

"She's not what she appears to be. She's not just the Mayor of District 12's daughter." I say with a knowing smile.

Lavender looks to be thinking very hard, and also looks like she is trying to decide something. Then she says, "I think, I'll sponsor both of them."

"Thank you, Lavender." This normally doesn't happen. Normally it takes a very long time to convince people to sponsor the tributes, - especially before the games - but this has taken an exceptionally short period of time. I think it's the quickest I have ever gotten someone to sponsor my tributes.

"Your welcome, we can discuss more another day." And with that, she walks away.

I stand in the corner of the room, looking around the room. Many wealthy Capitol citizens are getting drunk and eating every bit of food in sight. I sigh. I saw this coming; it's exactly what they did last year, so why would they act any differently? It's not like the Capitol is going to change.

I started the meeting earlier due to the amount of Capitol citizens that showed up at an earlier time. Its a few minutes past seven, when it was meant to start. Well, I'll look on the bright side. At least Madge and Peeta will have some sponsors, and sponsors are a lifeline in the arena. They have a decent amount of sponsors, already.

"Firegirl," I hear his voice, and a smile appears on my face.

"Blondie, I reply, as he stands next to me.

He's wearing a stormy grey suit with red at the end of his trousers and red at the end of his jacket. His tie is a dark red, which fades into black at the bottom. I glance at him curiously, wondering exactly why he's dressed like that. Its theme is similar if not the same as the colors on my dress. Cato is dressed to match me. He notices me looking and smirks.

"See something you like?" Cato says, tilting his head at me.

I scoff. "Why are you wearing that?"

"My stylist shoved me into it." He grumbles. "Anyway, I'm not here to get sponsors for my tributes. So, I guess it works."

"I guess." I mumble. I move away from the wall and tug on his arm, but he doesn't budge. He looks at me curiously, so I say, "Are you going to help me get sponsors or not?"

"I said I would keep you company." He says with a small smile.

"Fine then, keep me company."

I yank him away from the wall and drag him around the room trying to get sponsors. We come across a group of Capitol men and women chatting and sipping wine, and I attempt to ask them if they would like to sponsor Madge or Peeta. They say they do, and seem rather enthusiastic about it.

I brag about Madge and Peeta's skills and that reels them in. They end up sponsoring either Madge or Peeta, the majority sponsoring Madge. I still don't know why people would rather sponsor Madge than Peeta, but I guess they are the ones who get to choose. It's an hour after that when a woman notices that Cato had actually come with me.

"Cato Fairfax, I'm Detalia Ralle, It's lovely to meet you!" The green-haired woman exclaims. Her skin is very pale, and her long finger nails are painted a dark shade of forest green. She's wearing a light green dress which stretches all the way down to her feet.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Ralle." Cato says, smirking.

"Isn't this the meeting for sponsoring District 12?" Detalia asks curiously, smiling widely.

"Yes, it is." Cato nods.

"Then why are you here?" She questions him.

"I'm keeping Katniss company." He looks at me and a small smile creeps on to his face. I smile back at him.

"Aw, isn't that sweet!" The green-haired woman exclaims.

"Uh, excuse me?" Cato asks.

"You're so cute together! You're such a cute couple!"

"We're-we're not a couple." Cato stutters and I am shaking my head rapidly as in 'we are not'.

"Oh, sorry! It's just!-" She scurries off, leaving me feeling kind of... Weird.

What just happened? I mean, what? I'm praying that me and Cato don't appear to be to be a couple, and it's just that woman's poor judgment. But if isn't just her, then what will happen? The people of the Capitol tend to start rumors, and that never goes very well, especially considering they tend to start rumors and fake secrets about the victors of the Hunger Games. I don't know why, but I might be over thinking this.

But can you blame me? I mean, that's not a normal thing to say.

"That was... Weird." I state.

"You can say that again." He mutters.

I turn and walk over to the drinks table and I pick up a glass of red wine and begin to drink. Cato follows and grabs a small glass of whiskey and he drinks that down with no problem at all. The sponsors begin to filter out of the room, and I and Cato just sit at a table drinking and laughing.

It's normal, for once. Not being stressed, not having to deal with Haymitch, not having to worry about the tributes just yet. It feels almost tranquil. Even though anything being tranquil in the Capitol is basically a pipe dream, it's nice to have a short moment of peace.

"You know what we talked about earlier, on the roof?" I say, smiling gently.

"Yes, what about it?" He questions.

"I-I don't know. Okay, it started because of me?"

"Yes."

"What does that mean? I couldn't of single handedly started something like that." I whisper in case anyone is listening.

"It was bubbling under the surface for years. You were just the spark, bringing back to life, but since then, it's grew." Cato whispers, glancing around the room. The room is empty, apart from him and I. "It's starting to turn into a fire."

"Starting?" I pick up on, one eyebrow raised at him.

He sighs. "It isn't in full spin yet."

"Well, how do we get it into full spin?" I ask curiously, hoping to find out more.

"Well, we can't do anything that will send a message across the whole nation but," He pauses, pushing a small smile on to his face, looking directly at me, then adding "I'm betting you know a blonde town girl that could."

"Madge."

"Exactly." Cato smirks, taking a sip out of a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"She's my friend, why her?" I whisper.

"If she's your friend, then she has to be similar to you." He says with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I guess." I mutter.

"Rebellious." He whispers.

"I'm rebellious, huh?" I smile at him.

He smiles back and says, "You always have been, and you'll never change."

"How do I get Madge to do that?" I ask.

"Asking her, would be a great start." He states is a bored tone of voice.

"Thank you, Captain obvious. I mean, do you really think she'll do that?"

"Be rebellious? Yes, because that would cause a strong fire. And then it will start." He explains in a hushed voice.

"What will?"

"The rebellion." He whispers in my ear, and I shiver.

Comfortable silence fills the air, as we sit and drink. I never thought, two years ago fighting in that arena, that I would be sitting in a room, talking and drinking with Cato Fairfax. Seriously, I didn't see it coming. I didn't think I would get out of that arena at all. I'm still plagued with nightmares that invade the darkness of the night and haunt me. At night, I barely sleep. Some nights, I don't even know what I stand for. Most nights, I don't know.

I guess, from now on, Madge and I will stand for rebellion. That's something to believe in, to fight for. To stand, to fight, to conquer. What do I stand for? Soon, it will be rebellion. But now, I don't know anymore. But I will stand for something big soon. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.

"I got you something." Cato states, pulling a something gold out of his pocket.

He places it in my hand and I examine it. It's a pin. But it's not a mockingjay pin. There is a bluebell hanging gracefully, surrounded by the golden ring. It's completely gold, just like the mockingjay pin, but this pin will hold more meaning to me than the mockingjay pin ever will. Memories flash through my head, and I can't help but smile as I blink back the tears in my eyes.

_I stare at the moon - well, the moon in the arena- and try to convince myself that it's the same moon that I see in District 12. But I know it's not. It won't be, unless I can get out of here just to get back to District 12. But as appealing as that sounds, I don't like to think about it. Because for me to go home, Lee would have to die, and as much as I promised Prim that I would try to win, I don't like the idea of him being dead. _

_"Katniss?" Lee asks, next to me on the branch closest to mine. It's a sturdy tree, so it can hold us both. _

_"Yes Lee?" I say. _

_"What's your favorite color?" He asks, with the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. _

_I raise an eyebrow, but then I shake my head. "Green." I pause, then I look over to him, "What's your favorite color?" _

_"I used to like white, like snow. But I don't now." He chuckles. The arena being covered in snow would put a damper on the color white. "I guess, it's purple-blue. Like an in between." _

_I nod, staring back out at the moon. _

_"What's your favorite song?" He asks. _

_I sigh. "I like the lullaby, 'Deep in the meadow'. What about you?" _

_"There's this song I heard in the Capitol. It's called 'Both Of Us'." _

_"Can you sing it?" I ask. "Just the beginning." _

_He sighs. "Okay, but the beginning was sang by a girl." Lee clears his throat, preparing himself. "I wish I, was strong enough, to lift, not one, but both of us. Someday, I will, be strong enough, to lift, _  
_not one, but both of us." _

_He has a nice singing voice, to be honest. "That's nice." _

_"What's your favorite flower?" He questions, turning his body to face me. _

_I smile. "Primroses." _

_"Like your sister?" Lee asks curiously. _

_I nod. "What's your favorite?" _

_He smiles at me. "Bluebells. I don't know why. It might be strength." _

_"Strength?" I ask, eyebrows raised. _

_"Yeah, you know how they curve over, kind of?" I nod and he continues, "They have enough strength to stop themselves from falling to the ground." _

_"Goodnight Lee." I roll over and snuggle into my sleeping bag. _

_"Night, Katniss." He replies sleepily. I shut my eyes, and I drift off with the ghost of a smile on my lips. _

I look up at Cato and he has a sad smile on his face. I take the pin and hold it tightly to my chest, wiping a few of my fallen tears away with my other hand. I smile at Cato and he stands up and holds his hand out to me. I take it and get to my feet and we make our way to the elevator.

"Thank you." I say as we step into the elevator.

"Don't mention it. I knew how much you cared about Lee," Cato looks at the pin as I hold it out, "It's another way to remember him."

The elevator stops and he gets off at his floor and the doors shut, leaving me alone to my thoughts. This is when I let the tears fall, but not to many that it will be noticeable. The pain won't go away, the guilt I feel when I think about Lee won't leave me. If I had told him to come with me, he wouldn't have died. _But he would have_, I hear Prim's voice in my head, her actual words that she said when I came back from the games. _You had to come home, I don't want to say it but, he had to die._

The doors open to the twelfth floor and I walk in.

It's only until later, when I'm lying in bed, that I realize that the bluebell pin might be something more than to just remember Lee.

* * *

**There! Finally, it took me ages! It's been a while since I updated, sorry I had writers block on this one. I hope you liked this chapter! And yes, I used Both Of Us by B.O.B feat Taylor Swift. I like that song. **

**Thanx for the wonderful reviews and favorites! Thanx for reading and PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Overload**

_Masters of the system _

_They make the decisions _

_We're programmed to obey _

_We're programmed to listen _

_The masses are the victims_

_They got us in this prison _

_So now my heads spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload _

_They want us to do as we're told _

_Distract us from the truth so we can lose as they grow _

_I put my life on the line that's just to let you know _

_Heads spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload _

~Overload, Dot Rotten

**Overload **

**Chapter 7: Checkmate**

The days have flew by, and know it's the day of the interview. The day before the Games begin. I've never felt this anxious, not even before my Games. But my friend and the boy who saved my life are going to go into an arena tomorrow to fight to the death. It still comforts me that I know them both well enough to know that they won't kill each other if they run into each other in the arena. It's frowned upon to kill your District partner, unless you're in the final two.

To be honest, it's frowned upon in the majority of the Districts to send children year after year into the Games. But since, for now, there's no choice, we just have to get through it. Haymitch worked with Peeta and I've been working with Madge, much to Effie's displeasure. Effie thought that I wouldn't be able to prepare Madge for her interview, but I managed. Madge was very good at working out her angle for the interview.

She's basically going to be herself. She'll be sweet and charming, and act like she is extremely happy and honored to be here. But of course she isn't, but it turns out, she is very good at lying. Or at least create a good show. She did extremely well in her private training session. Peeta scored an eight, which is incredibly good, but Madge blew him out of the water. She managed to get an eleven, highest score. She said there was a force field in front of the Gamemakers, so she worked out the Math of the situation. She fired two arrows, one after the other, and they bounced off of the force field and headed straight for the target and it got the bull's-eye. She said one of the Gamemakers tripped into a bowl of fruit and the juice from it went everywhere.

It's unlikely either of them will get anymore sponsors before the Games. Maybe if they do very well in their interviews they'll get more, but Haymitch says we should wait until the Games begin. I rarely listen to Haymitch, but I know he's right; after all, he has been doing this a lot longer than I have. He knows what he's doing, so who am I to question him? I never thought I'd say it, but I've come to depend on Haymitch a lot more than I thought I would have.

I sit on the roof, gazing out at the city recalling how I did this the night before my Games. But Lee was there, so I wasn't exactly alone. No matter how much I hate the Capitol, I can't help but admire it's architectural structure. The tall buildings, some with stained glass windows, some curved into odd shapes that look strangely appealing. Glistening streets, paved with shining stones all bright and colorful.

But it's the people that ruin it; with their brightly colored clothes, genetically enhanced bodies, full stomachs and gleeful faces. The faces of people who have never felt real hunger, the faces of people who never had to work very hard for their food, the faces of people who don't know what an empty stomach feels like, the faces of people who have never felt any guilt in sending twenty-three children to their deaths every year, the faces of people who haven't felt the pain of having someone that they love ripped away from them in a matter of seconds.

The faces of people who don't care.

They don't have a care in the world. Why would they? It's not like they have to worry about their children being took from them. It's not like they've felt the real pain of losing yet another child to those God forsaken Games. I try not to think about the children of the dead tributes because there are more than I would like, and I would like there to be zero. No children being taken away by the Games, no more loss of children's lives. Exactly what Cato and the rebellion is offering.

"I didn't think you'd be up here." Comes a familiar girls voice from behind me. I don't bother turning around; I know exactly who it is.

"Same could be said for you," I answer as Madge walks into my line of vision.

"What are you doing up here?" She asks.

"Thinking. You?" I answer.

"Same. Kind of worried about the interview." Madge lets out a nervous laugh and I smile slightly and shake my head.

"Don't be. I was, but trust me when I say Caesar will make it incredibly easy for you."

Silence filters through the air before she speaks up again. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?" I ask back.

"The arena," Madge starts. "I know when you came back you didn't want to talk about it, but it would be helpful for me to know. Just to know what it could be like."

I let out a puff of air. "It's like a cage."

"A cage?"

"Yes, a cage. And you should know, even when you come out, you're still trapped in a cage." I explain, deciding to tell her the after effects of coming out of the arena alive instead of in a box. "The nightmares are the worst. They never really go away, they stick with you and refuse to leave. I see Lee nearly every night, either getting ripped to parts or happy but they're equally bad. Because he could have been happy and lived his life, if this were a different world." By the end of it, tears are begging to spill out of my eyes, but I forbid it.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"No, I never will. I just wanted to tell you what it's like after." I explain to her before muttering under my breath, "I think sometimes it's better to not leave the arena."

"Katniss, you had Prim to get back to. You got out for someone you care about. I'm trying to do that."

"For your parents?" I ask, curiously.

"No... Someone else."

"Who?" I smile softly as I say, "is it a boy?"

"Maybe."

"Who?" I ask in a more demanding tone, but I still have a smile on my face. "At least give me a clue."

"I promised him I would come back. You know him really well..."

"Gale?" She looks out at the city and sits down to face the Capitol's streets. "Yes," Madge whispers, and suddenly a lot of things begin to make more sense. Like how when me and Gale got some strawberries in the woods he insisted on going to the Mayor's house and giving it to them alone. When Gale had been whipped for the second time, she brought some morphine and he was asking for her. I had no idea I could have been so naive that I didn't see the signs, that I thought the two of them liking each other would be preposterous.

"I was one of the two girls that never asked him for a kiss," she explains. "You're the other."

I chuckle. "Well we were the two girls that were immune to Gale's charms. Apparently now it's just me." I say with a smirk. "And you asked him to kiss you?"

"I didn't ask him for a kiss," Madge says with a smile and a light shake of her head. "He asked me."

I blink with wide eyes. "Either the world must be ending or I'm dying because I didn't just hear what I think I did."

"I turned him down, but he wouldn't leave me alone He didn't give up." She explains with a light laugh. "He is really nice."

I smile, because it sounds that she generally really does like Gale. "I'm guessing you really like him. You've never shown an interest in boys, that much."

"Well you hadn't, but now-" Madge begins, but I cut her off.

"What are you getting at?" I ask.

"I heard Effie saying something about how you were spending a lot of your time with the District 2 mentor. Cato Fairfax, isn't it?" She says with a knowing smile, crossing her arms over her chest, as I grow increasingly confused.

"Yeah... I know."

"Exactly." When she says this, I finally understand what she's getting at.

"No! Me and Cato are just friends! Why would you listen to something Effie, of all people, said! More wisdom emits from Haymitch, the famous drunk!" I shout standing up, while she just laughs at me. I huff and sit back down, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger.

"Are you sure you and Cato are just friends?" She asks with a grin.

"Yes, me and Cato are just friends." I say, exasperated.

She nods at my answer. "That's good, keep telling yourself that."

"I can't win, can I?"

"No, checkmate." Madge laughs slightly at her own joke while I just shake my head.

I suddenly stand up, remembering something Cato said a few days ago. We had talked about how we would instigate our own little rebellion of sorts, and Cato believed that it would be best to get Madge to help, considering I know her better than anyone else here. Cato said that I had to try and convince her to be rebellious in the arena. The worst part is that he made it sound a lot more easier than it actually will be.

I sit back down on the hard surface of the roof before speaking up. "Madge?"

"Yes?"

"I have a proposition for you." I offer.

"And what may that be?" She asks, curiously.

"Something that is really important."

"What is that?"

I sit by her as I whisper, making sure no cameras can pick up my voice. "Something to do with rebellion."

Madge jumps back slightly, before I have time to explain. "What?" She whisper-yells, with eyes a little wider than before.

"Don't you want this to end?" I whisper. "All of this?"

"Who doesn't, Katniss?" She says, shaking her head. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, I need your help." I start in a hushed tone of voice. "When I was in my Games, I started a spark. It wasn't enough to get people to fight back. But Cato and I decided that there was another way to spur on the Districts. By creating a flame," I finish. "You hold the match, but you have to let it burn."

"So you want me to be rebellious?" Madge whispers, finally fully understanding.

"In the arena." I confirm.

"How?"

"By not playing the Games by the Capitol's rules. So for once, it'll end better for everyone. And as for the Capitol, well," I stop, thinking of the right words. "Checkmate."

It's silent for a while before she smiles slightly. "Gale always thought about rebelling would be a good idea." She whispers under her breath. I didn't even expect her to consider it, but it seems that Gale's rebelliousness must be rubbing off on her. At least she's considering helping, because from what Cato's told me about the rebellion they need help to fight back. I was still angry yesterday when we had the discussion about District 13 being there.

I was angry that District 13 had been around all of these years and had done nothing to stop the Hunger Games, nothing to stop the Capitol from forcing it upon innocent children from the Districts, nothing to help the Districts be free from the Capitol's wrath. I'm still not happy about it, but Cato managed to tell me that they were just waiting for a better time to attack the Capitol, that they were just waiting for someone to turn my spark into a burning inferno.

"I guess I could try," she mutters.

"I'll put this way; would you rather play the Games by the Capitol's rules, or by your own?" I whisper.

She nods and I look over at the Capitol streets glistening in the evening sun. "You should go get ready for your interview, Madge. Cinna should have something ready for you."

"Okay." Then she disappears.

* * *

The large boy from Eleven has just finished his interview. He didn't answer the questions with more than one word. It was quite funny, to be honest, Caesar tried to muster up a conversation between him and the boy but he would only answer with one word for each question he was asked. All of the tributes have been playing up an angle. The monstrous boy from District 2 - Liator - is a ruthless killing machine. The small, and maybe mentally unstable girl from District 2 - Clove - is a slightly psychotic murderer. The fox-faced girl from District 5 - Faylia - is sly and elusive.

Me, Haymitch, Effie, Portia and Cinna are sitting in the audience, near the front - reserved for the mentors, stylists and escorts, just as Madge is introduced. She's wearing a knee length, strapless dress, shining, as it's covered in blue diamonds at the bottom slowly turning silver at the top. It shimmers with every step she takes and she is wearing a fake smile which is very convincing. There are blue diamonds woven into her flowing blonde hair. Cinna has done it again. The mockingjay pin is pinned to the front of her dress.

Madge takes a seat on the seat opposite Caesar, after shaking his hand. "So Madge, the Capitol must be quite a change from District Twelve, even being the Mayor's daughter. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?"

"Well, I must say, the buildings are tremendously sculpted. They're beautiful." Madge says with a wide smile. "Very different from the buildings back home."

"Indeed, they must be different. They are somewhat works of art, aren't they?" Caesar asks the audience as they cheer in answer. "Now Madge, when you came out in the opening ceremonies, you were literally shining. What did you think of the costume?"

"After I got over the fear of being blinded by clothes?" Caesar the audience laughs at this, and can't help but think that this sounds vaguely like my interview as I let a small smile creep onto my face.

"Yes, after that."

"I thought Cinna was brilliant. To me, the costume was as good as Katniss' fire costume. I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I can't believe that I'm wearing this. I mean, it's beautiful!" Madge stands and I glance over at Cinna and see that he's making a twirling signal with his finger. _Twirl Madge. _

She begins to spin and then something happens. The diamonds begin shining and it dawns on me what Cinna has done. The diamonds cause the dress to look like a bright red inferno, burning brightly and I smile at the sight. The crowd erupts into cheers and I hear chuckling on my left and turn to see Cato watching with a grin on his face.

"I said convince the girl, not the stylist." Cato mutters and I shake my head.

"I did, I said nothing to Cinna." I say as Madge stops spinning. "When did you get here?"

"Since before you got here, I said hello to you. You didn't listen."

"Sorry," I mutter as I turn my attention back to Madge ad Caesar.

"So how about that training score." Caesar says. "Eleven. Following in your mentor's footsteps, are we?" Quiet laughter spreads across the room. "Give us a hint to how you got that."

"Um... All I can say is that, it was different." I hear the Gamemakers in the balcony laughing lightly.

"Oh come on, I'm sure you could give us more details."

"I don't think I'm aloud to tell." One of the Gamemakers shouts no, then it's all settled.

"Okay then, lets go back to when you were reaped. You looked rather bored, to be fully honest. What was going through your mind?" Caesar asks, smiling widely.

"Well, I didn't really think. I didn't fully realize I had been reaped until I was up on the stage." She explains. "The view was okay, though." _Nice._

"Madge, I couldn't help but notice your pin. Is this the pin Katniss Everdeen wore through her Games?" Caesar questions. She looks over at me and I mouth to her _'be honest'_.

"Well, yes, I gave it to her as her token for in the arena."

"Did you know Miss Everdeen before the Games?"

"Yes, she's my friend." She smiles.

"Well Madge, you have a friend, but do you have a special fellow at home?"

"Well... Yes..." Madge mutters, red rising on her cheeks.

"Oh, there is some lucky boy! Well, you try your hardest to get home to him!"

"I will do anything I can to get home to him."

"Yes you will. Unfortunately, we are out of time. Ladies and gentleman, Madge Undersee, tribute of District 12!" The applause continues long after she is seated. And soon, Peeta is introduced and the interview begins. I'm in a slight daze for the first part of Peeta's interview.

He has the audience from the get-go, though; I can hear them laughing, shouting out. He plays up the baker's son thing, comparing the tributes to the bread from their Districts. Then he has a funny anecdote about the perils of the Capitol showers. "Tell me, do I smell like roses?" he asks Caesar, and then there's a whole run where they take turns sniffing each other that brings down the house. I'm coming back into focus when Caesar asks if Peeta has a girlfriend back.

Peeta hesitates, then gives an unconvincing shake of his head. "Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?"

"Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping." Peeta says, as many sounds of sympathy erupt from the members of the audience.

"Does she have another fellow?" Caesar asks.

"I'm pretty sure she does." More sounds of sympathy echo throughout the room.

"That's a shame." Caesar says with a shake of his head.

"Yeah..."

"Well then, you better win her over! I'm afraid time's up. Ladies and gentleman, Peeta Mellark, tribute of District 12!"

Just as everyone stands to leave the room, Cato nudges me. "Have fun with your tributes."

I nudge him back. "Have fun with your basket cases."

"Very funny." Cato mumbles.

"Alright lovebirds," Haymitch's voice slurs from behind me. "Move so we can leave, would you?"

We eventually end up back on the District 12 floor, having a late dinner. We compliment Madge and Peeta on their interviews, saying that they did very well, and Haymitch says it was much better than what mine was. I throw an orange at his head, and Effie yells at me, something about manors.

Madge and Peeta retire to bed after we tell them good luck - Haymitch tells them to stay alive, but I know that at least one of that - Peeta or Madge - will end up on the roof at some point during the night. They're going into the arena tomorrow, so they'll end up on the roof to get some fresh air. It starts to feel like you're trapped, so getting to feel real air brush against you is the best they'll feel all night. Unless they somehow manage to miraculously get any sleep, which I thoroughly doubt. I get changed into tight, black pants and a red vest with a small, black jacket with matching boots. I put the bluebell pin on the vest.

It's later on in the night, when Haymitch is watching the bets on the tributes on the television, that I also feel the need to go to the roof to get some air. I climb the stairs to roof and I hear voices echo around. I recognize one. It's Peeta, but the other one - a young girl - I can't work out who it is. Obviously a tribute. They're speaking softly to each other, which I wouldn't expect between tributes from different Districts. I hide behind the wall as they're sitting in the garden.

I manage to make out some of Peeta's words, though. "... I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?"

"Kind of," the girl answers. I can only see the back of her head, but she looks small. She has brown hair, and I can see her arm and it isn't pale, but it isn't tan. I think I know who it is... I know who she is! It's the girl who used the angle of 'psychotic murderer'. Clove, from District 2. One of Cato's tributes.

"I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into something I'm not." Peeta says.

"I'm expected to be a monster, I don't have a choice." Clove says quietly. "Do you mean you're not going to kill anyone?"

"No, when the time comes, I'm sure I'll kill just like everybody else. I can't go down without a fight." He explains. "Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to... To show the Capitol that they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games."

"But you're not. There's a reason it's called the Hunger _Games_." Clove explains. "They might as well put us all on a chessboard just for the irony of it."

"Okay, but within the framework there's still you, there's still me," he insists. "Don't you see?"

"A little." She says, and I can hear the smirk in her voice. "What a situation we've got here."

He snorts. "Yeah... In a different world, I think we could have been friends."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you know how opposites attract." Peeta says.

"I don't know... You are pretty annoying." She shakes her head.

"That hurt Clove." Peeta says, fake hurt in his voice.

"Whatever..."

"Do you think Liator will let me into the alliance?" _What?_

"He will. He trusts me, and if I'm okay with you being in, he will." Clove explains.

"What about District One?" He asks.

"You'll be fine, bread boy. Just stay by me, they'll get the hint."

"Clove!" I hear the voice I didn't expect, coming from the doorway. It's her mentor, Cato. _Wonderful._

"Got to go. See you in the morning." She says.

"You too." He answers.

Clove passes me, but she must think I'm here to collect Peeta to make sure he goes back to bed. "Clove, go back to bed." Cato says.

I'm thinking about waiting until Cato leaves, then to make sure Peeta goes to bed to get some sleep. He'll need it since he'll be going into the arena tomorrow. And in the arena, you need as much energy as you have to keep yourself going. He needs sleep because if you're tired in the arena, you put your guards down and you get killed. That can't happen to Peeta, at least, it can't happen to him for a long while.

Just as I'm about to walk over to Peeta to tell him to go to bed, I hear the roof door shut behind me. I assume Cato had just left, but I assumed wrong. I can basically hear the smirk in his voice when he begins speaking. "Fire girl."

I sigh. "Blondie."

"You convinced her?" He questions as I turn around to face him.

"Yes, Cato. She said she would try." I answer.

"I guess it's the best we can ask for." He mutters. "You're wearing the pin."

"Yeah, you said yourself that it was something to remember Lee by." I smile lightly.

"Glad you like it." He smiles back, and just then someone storms by and the roof door slams shut. Peeta obviously wanted to leave quickly. Cato looks confused; he obviously didn't know that Peeta had been on the roof with Clove.

"It was Peeta."

"He was the one talking to Clove?" He asks and I nod. "I'm surprised she didn't kill him."

"So was I. And apparently, Peeta is in the Careers alliance." I say.

"What?" Anger is basically radiating off of him.

"Clove let him in. I don't know why, though."

Cato sighs and shakes his head. "Did you explain everything to Madge?"

"Yes, I did." I move into the garden and sit down, as I hear Cato's feet shuffle across the ground to stand behind me.

"So, she's okay with it?"

"Yeah, it should be okay." I say softly.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm not okay. Two people I care about are going into an arena to fight to the death. How could I be okay?"

He sits down beside me. "Alright look, I know there's nothing I can say to make it better, because I can't. But all you can do right now is pray they survive the bloodbath. They're smart, they should be able to survive."

"Alright." I mutter as I lean against him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Alright?"

"Yeah, alright." I confirm. "I hope Madge knows what to do."

"She's smart, she'll know." Cato says. "She's like you, so she'll know what to do even if she doesn't."

I smile. "That doesn't even make any sense."

"You know it does." He counters with a grin.

"It doesn't."

"Does."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"I can't win, I don't know why I bother." I say as I shake my head.

"You should go get some sleep." Cato says, grinning from ear to ear.

"So should you." I mumble, my head against his shoulder.

"That's beside the point."

"No it's not." I say. "

Yes it is." He says.

"How about we both just go?"

"Okay, you take the stairs, I'm going down the elevator." He says.

"Night." I say.

"Night." He presses his lips to my cheek before he goes to the elevator and I watch as the doors close and he goes down. I walk to the door and walk down the stairs before collapsing right on my bed and curling up into a ball, unprepared for what I will witness tomorrow. I don't want to see anything that will happen the next day, or the days later, but I have no choice. The first day is always the worst; it sets the whole tone of the Games. The bloodbath settles the weak from the strong, the weak die and the strong live slightly longer than that.

But one of the strong ones will be crowned Victor, and I can only pray it's Peeta or Madge. The boy who saved my life, or the girl who's been my friend for years. I'm worried about both of them, but there's nothing I can do for them apart send them gifts every now and then, and watch. Watch as they fight in an arena, battling for their lives. They will survive at least a few days, and I try to take comfort in the fact that if they run into each other in the arena they won't kill each other.

They should be fine. For the first few days, anyway.

When I fall asleep, my night is filled with the worst nightmares I've ever had, and I barely get an hour of sleep. But I wake in the morning, just to hear Cinna and Portia leave with Madge and Peeta. To get on the hovercraft and head to a place underneath the arena and prepare for the Games. I need to get up to watch the Games. To make sure none of my tributes will end up being killed trapped. Or in other words:

Checkmate.

* * *

**I know I haven't updated in ages, but I couldn't think of anything for this chapter. And for some reason, watching Harry Potter helped me write this. I added a GaleXMadge relationship in the mix. NO STARCROSSED LOVERS. I also sort of hinted at PeetaXClove. I thought it would be fun to add into the mix in the whirlpool of emotions. **

**See?! This is why it's called Overload.**

**I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you all for the favs, the follows, and the reviews! Thank you so much! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Overload**

_Masters of the system _

_They make the decisions _

_We're programmed to obey _

_We're programmed to listen_

_The masses are the victims _

_They got us in this prison _

_So now my heads spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload _

_They want us to do as we're told _

_Distract us from the truth so we can lose as they grow _

_I put my life on the line that's just to let you know _

_Heads spinning _

_Heads spinning _

_It's a overload_

~Overload, Dot Rotten

**Overload**

**Chapter 8: It's Just the Beginning**

The mentor's floor isn't busy. At all. People are rarely down here until after the initial bloodbath, not bothering to walk down a flight of stairs to watch their tributes die.

But I, on the other hand, feel the need to be here.

I'm actually the only one here, apart from the Capitol barman who is sleeping in a puddle of whiskey. Of course he would be asleep at this time. It's not even midday yet. And the people of the Capitol don't wake up until the afternoon, anyway.

I sit on a plush red couch tat faces a humongous flat-screen television. In front of me is a blue projector. It projects a hologram of the arena and it points out where the tributes are with the number of their District labelled above an arrow to show where they are. I don't understand why it's even here; there's a television just up there, why do we need this?

I feel cold. But not from temperature. In terms of temperature, I am actually quite warm. But I feel empty. I have to worry about my tributes. They should be just beneath the arena right now, and every second that goes by I grow more and more uneasy. What if they don't make it? But then, I rethink that. _One victor, remember Katniss?_

One winner.

Peeta worries me. He appears to be the type who wouldn't kill if the opportunity came up. He's the type that would try to negotiate to get out of a situation like that, instead of resorting to animal instincts. In another world, Peeta's gift with words is something that would be admired. But here it'll get him killed.

If he ran into a tribute, chances are they'd kill him. But before they would, Peeta would, no doubt, try to work out some sort of arrangement to be able to survive that showdown without any blood being spilt. But unfortunately, for him, it would be his blood that would be spilt. I feel my test tighten at the thought of losing the boy with the bread. _They always have to die, Katniss_. I hear my beautiful sister's voice in my head and my heart sinks. _It's just how it works_.

Then, I think of Madge. Quiet and kind and brave. I know Madge, and I know how she thinks. Eerily similar to me. She'll play the Games like I did. By that one rule: Kill or be killed. But she won't be like the Careers who wear someone else's blood on their faces with a smile. Though, she won't play them exactly how the Capitol wants her to. I've instructed her to be as rebellious as possible. But this makes me worry for her more than I already have. Every action has an opposite reaction. Every sin has blood to be paid.

An eye for an eye.

If she emerges as a victor, she will have a debt to pay for the rebellious actions she will commit in the arena. They'll kill her family and friends. Her mother, her father. Gale and by extension, his family. Prim and I. And it'll be all my fault. Madge will lose all those she holds dear. Yet again, many more people will lose their lives because of me. It was bound to happen, again, wasn't it? More people will die because of something I've done.

I hear a noise. It's fuzzy. I look up and see that the television screen is flickering on. Caesar Flickerman sits in a chair next to Claudius Templesmith. "Welcome!" says Caesar. "To the seventy-fourth Hunger Games!"

Then, just as his award-winning grin appears on his face, the screen is split so that one side shows Caesar and Claudius while the other side shows the tributes rising into the arena.

The Cornucopia sits in the middle of flat, open stretch ground. On one side is a slope that goes down. To another side lies a lake. And on the other two sides, lay sparse, piny trees. This is where I expect Madge to go, at least. After hearing Peeta talk to Clove last night on the roof has made me realise that he won't listen to my advise, and he'll go to the Careers, into the bloodbath.

Claudius Templesmith's voice booms around the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, let the seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"

Sixty seconds. That's how long they're required to stand on the metal circles until the sound of a gong releases them. Step off before the minute is up, and landmines blow your legs off. Sixty seconds for Madge and Peeta to take in the ring of tributes all equidistant from the Cornucopia, a giant golden horn shaped like a cone with a curved tail, the mouth of which is at least seven metres high, spilling over with things that will give them life in the arena. Food, containers of water, weapons, medicine, garments, fire starters. Strewn around the Cornucopia are other supplies, their value decreasing the further they are from the horn. For instance, in front of Madge, only a few steps from her feet, lies a metre square of plastic. It would be good for a downpour. But there in the mouth, there is a tent that would keep a tribute well sheltered throughout the Games.

It must be so tempting for Madge to go into the bloodbath with the grand bounty that lies at the mouth of the horn. A sheath of arrows and a silver bow at the tip of the horn has Madge's attention. I know why she's tempted. I was in my Games, and I went for it. But it always seems so different from someone else's point of view, and now I see the Games how Gale and Madge saw mine. I don't want her to risk her life for the bow and arrows, but she didn't want me to risk it in my Games but I still did it. And now, as I've said, every action has an opposite reaction. My actions have reflected badly on her, and I find myself cursing under my breath.

"Got quite a tongue there, don't you?"

I look to my right and I see him sitting next to me. How did I not hear him coming? Has my sense of hearing deteriorated since the Games? I haven't really been hunting, so that would be a reason for my worsened senses. Or maybe he treads lightly. For some reason, that sounds like a weak excuse. How could someone his size tread lightly? He's too big for that. He probably stomps around like a bear, but my ears just didn't pick it up because I wasn't listening for it.

"I thought you d be on your floor," I say. "Your tributes will get through the bloodbath."

"Maybe I came down to get away from everyone," says Cato. "Enobaria is sharpening her teeth and Brutus is busy betting on which tributes will die in the bloodbath," he looks at me, icy blue eyes glistening. "He bet on yours, said they'd die first."

Enraged, I snort and turn my head towards the television.

Ten seconds ...

Five seconds ...

Four seconds ...

Three seconds ...

Two seconds ...

One second ...

The gong sounds, and it's as if everything is in slow motion. I see Peeta run. Run straight at the Cornucopia. I quickly close my eyes, but I open them again, knowing that no matter who dies, the Games are far from over. Peeta dives straight into the mouth of the Cornucopia, picking up a spear. I see Clove grabbing a belt of knives and running into the Cornucopia. She sees him. For a moment, I think she's going to tackle him to the ground and take out a cruel blade from her belt of knives, slowly and sadistically cutting him up. But that doesn't happen. She walks to him and pulls him to his feet, shouting, "Stay close, Mellark!"

Meanwhile, Madge runs to a backpack and that sheet of plastic that was right in front of her metal plate. She swings the pack over her shoulder, sprinting for the trees. _Yes_, I think. _Run_. Just as she is about to reach the woods, an axe goes whirling at her head. I have to prevent myself from screaming as I grip onto Cato's hand. Luckily, she must sense immense danger and she dives to the ground. The axe hits a tree in front of her, embedding itself there. The District 7 boy - I believe his name is Enthi - grunts, running to grab the small axe from the tree when a mace smashes against his skull.

The District 6 boy - Delan - stands, beating in Enthi's head. I see bits of membrane splatter across the ground along with blood. Delan seems more occupied with Enthi than Madge. I doubt he's realised she's even there. _Run_. She quickly stands, rips the axe from the tree and runs through the woods. Branches brush over her, but it doesn't faze her. She runs and runs and runs. At one point she tumbles down a hill but she quickly gets to her feet and continues running.

I sigh with relief. Both of them have survived the bloodbath. One of my best friends and the boy who saved my life have survived the beginning of the Games. I take comfort in this thought, attempting to drown in it. I'm soaked with relief, releasing breaths I didn't even realise I was holding in. They made it! They actually made it through the bloodbath, the beginning of the Games, the opening to the blood fest. Despite this, I try to remain happy that Madge and Peeta have made it past the bloodbath. Now, the sponsors will be piling in. But that's probably what Haymitch is doing. I haven't seen him drink all that much, he's cutting back. It could save a life.

"It's just the beginning," says Cato. "It's not over."

I nod. "Far from it."

* * *

I have learned, while mentoring, that I understand why people watch the Games. It's a constant battle to watch and to not watch. I've decided to watch. Even now, Cato and I are the only ones in the on the mentoring floor. Maybe they just don't think their tributes need any help this early in the Games, or maybe they just don't believe that their tributes lives are worth the effort. That tends to happen in most cases with some of the outer districts. Unlike District 1, 2 and 4 the outer districts don't have much faith in their tributes. It's because these districts have a small pool of victors, so the chances of receiving another victor are unbelievably low.

The cannons are just beginning. The camera focuses in on Madge - for some reason, she is one of the most interesting things in the arena at this moment - as she sits on a rock, listening to the cannon booming.

Eleven.

Eleven dead in all. Thirteen left to play.

It makes me feel cold. Watching those children die on screen. But then, I remember that I killed some children myself. And I feel like my insides are made of ice. A glance at the screen shows Caesar Flickerman pointing to a screen behind him with the number eleven on it. And there's that familiar boom of the cannon signalling another fallen tribute. Eleven tributes fallen just after the bloodbath.

I feel a tightening in my chest. Though, I soon remember that I'm not supposed to feel anything.

On screen, it shows the Careers. Clove bringing Peeta to them. This doesn t look good. Clove and Peeta stop at the Cornucopia and Clove clears her throat, gaining her fellow Careers s attention.

"What's he doing here?" asks Liator. He has a sword in his hand.

"He's in the alliance," says Clove.

"What?" says Glimmer and the girl from Four, Aster, in unison. "Why?"

"Yeah," says the boy from One, Marvel. "Why?"

"Because," says Clove.

"Because," says Liator with a smirk, "you don't want to let your little Lover Boy go."

Clove turns red with fury. Or is it embarrassment?

"No," says Clove. "He knows how to find _her_."

_Her?_

Liator opens his mouth, but then closes it again. He tilts his head to the side, his short black hair standing in place, and looks at Peeta with his glowering, dark green eyes. "How would you know how to find her? You didn't seem close to her. Like you barely know her."

"She's the mayor's daughter. I do know her," says Peeta. "Vaguely." Liator guffaws. "But," says Peeta. "I know _everything_ about the person who taught her all she knows."

Liator raises an eyebrow. "And who may that be?"

"Who do you think?" says Peeta. "Katniss Everdeen."

* * *

My floor is busy being destroyed. It's dark out. Effie insisted that Cinna takes her to get his opinion on her new dress. Haymitch, may have been trying to get sponsors, but he has been gone so long I assume he went drinking. No surprise there. I expected it to happen soon. Shards of glass lay on the floor, broken plates are scattered across the thick carpet, ripped fabrics coat the ground. I'll have to apologise to Cinna when he returns. I pick up a bottle of whiskey and turn to the wall. I throw it at the wall and the liquid runs down it as the glass shatters and falls to the ground. I move to get another bottle, but I'm stopped by hands encircling my waist. I squirm, trying to get away, but it's no use.

"Hey," he says. "Doing that doesn't help anyone."

He releases me, and whirl around to face him. Cato looks shocked, but I don't know why. I feel frustrated and I'm fuming.

"How could he do that?" I hiss, pointing at Cato. "How could he betray her like that? Betray me!"

"Kat," he says, placing his hand on my arm.

I shake it off.

"She's his district partner! No one does this to their district partners! They're the only part of home they have left!"

"Katniss ..."

"No!" I say. "He joined them!"

"Katniss don't do-"

I ignore him. "He joined them just so he could stay with Clove!" I clench my fists. "He joined the Careers to be near one of _your_ tributes! Do you know what this is? It's-"

"Fire Girl!" he snaps. "Now is not the time for the fire! This is the Hunger Games! He didn't betray her! He barely knows her!"

"But he knows me!" I say. "He saved my life! So now, to return the payment, he's going to take part in trying to kill one of my best friends!"

"Katniss!" he says. "No one is that cruel, unless they're a Career! And have you seen Mellark? He wouldn't do that to anyone! He doesn't have it in him!"

It's silent, then I speak up. "But he ..." I trail off, already knowing this is an argument I can't win.

_He joined them to help them kill Madge! How dare he!_

"Katniss," says Cato. He runs his hand over my cheek, and moves to lift my chin so I look him in the eye. I am met with the blue hue of ice. "I know it must be hard. But you can't stop it, now can you?"

I say nothing.

"You can't stop it, _now can you?_"

"No," I shake my head. "But-"

"Shush," he places a finger on my lips. "No buts."

"But-"

"What did I just say?"

I stay silent.

"Okay," he removes his finger from my lips. He leans forward and places a kiss on the corner of my mouth. I blush. It lasts less than a second, but I find myself missing the contact.

"Now Fire Girl," he says, smiling. "Your cheeks are on fire."

This, of course, makes my blush more furious.

He laughs. "One name with so many different meanings, huh?"

"Shut up," I grumble.

"Fine," he smirks. "I'll just go."

He turns, and before I can help myself, I grab his arm. _What are you doing?_ My head screams at me to let him leave, and why am I doing this? I tighten my grip on his wrist when I think he might definitely leave. My hand tingles against his wrist and I can't help but think if he feels it too. What I now call the 'tingles' . The 'tingles' spread up my arm. He turns back around and glances at my hand. I keep it on his arm. His gaze softens when I look into his eyes.

"Stay," I whisper.

"Why?"

"Because I can't be alone right now," I whisper. "Please."

It looks like there is a war going on in his head. His face distorts from hope to confusion. At least, that's what it looks like. I'm not very good at reading people. At all. I drop my hand. I look him in the eyes, and I see something like sadness in his eyes. Sadness? Why would he be sad? His head goes down and he lowers his gaze to the floor.

"Just today, okay?" he says.

Something inside me deflates, but I can't identify what it is. "Just today."

I move to turn the television on. When it's on, it announces a change. That's when I pounce onto the couch in front of it. I fumble for the remote, which I happen to be sitting on. I pull it into my hands and I crank up the volume as loud as it goes, which doesn't happen to be that loud. On screen, sits a panicked Caesar Flickerman hurrying along and stumbling over his words. He doesn t have his fake plastic smile and that worries me. What could possibly unnerve a Capitol citizen such as himself?

"Citizens of Panem," he announces. "T-this is urgent." The television flickers, and it goes fuzzy. "President Snow himself asked that I do this broadcast. There has been a serious incident." The couch shifts with the newly added weight from Cato sitting down next to me. "I am horrified to announce that a war has begun. And I am solemnly upset to say that this year's Hunger Games has been cancelled. Lock your doors, and may the odds be ever in your favour."

It's over, but the camera keeps on rolling. Do they know it's on? I doubt it. Why would they keep a panicked Caesar Flickerman on the screen? Pointless. It's going fuzzy, and soon, the television screen only picks up grey, white and black. But the sounds in the background are still there. Caesar is talking rapidly to the Capitol cameraman, as he asks if the camera picked up enough. Just as the cameraman says yes, a crash is heard, and everyone is screaming.

"No!" shouts Caesar. "Don't shoot!"

"Squadron, hold them at gunpoint! Don't let anyone out!" More shuffling. "On your knees!" shouts a voice I have never heard before.

"Wha-"

"_On your knees, Flickerman!_" this voice is louder, more stern, different and familiar.

"Please!"

"Let me tell you a story, Flickerman," says the voice I know is most definitely a male. It sounds familiar, but I can't place it. "You interviewed a girl this year. She's still alive. But," I hear the sound of shuffling feet. "It wasn't guaranteed that she'd live. She's strong, and everyone knows it."

"Now isn't the time for a speech," says an older male voice.

"Hey!" shouts the first male. "You're small, fifteen-year-old, brown-haired daughter is in there too! You want her alive, and that's why you came here with me!" It's silent, then the younger of the two males clears his throat. "Now, as I was _saying_. He wants his daughter alive too."

"I understand," I hear Caesar say.

"Well, Caesar," I hear a bullet being clicked into a chamber. "How many children do you think you have interviewed?"

"I-I don t know."

"Well, I do," says the male. I've heard his voice before. And I know who it is. His rants are familiar just as his anti-Capitol speeches. "One thousand, eight hundred. How many do you think died in the Games?"

"I-"

"One thousand, seven hundred and twenty-seven," says Gale. It's him, I'm sure. "And we don't want anymore dead. We want more than one out this year."

"I-I understand, I understand," says Caesar. "But that isn't how the Games work!"

"Well, Flickerman," says Gale. "There seems to have been a rule change."

"What?"

"I am _sick_ of it!" he yells. "_Sick_ of being controlled! We are not pawns for your messed up Games! No more!"

"Please!"

"No," says Gale. "The odds are just not in your favour."

Then the shot rings out, and the door to this room is flung open, and soldiers pile in. On their arms, there is the number thirteen circled by a ring.

_Yes_, I think. _It's only the beginning_.

* * *

**YES I HAVE UPDATED! IT TOOK ME A FRICKEN WHILE TOO. I apologise for any mistakes. I looked it over again and again but, knowing me, I've probably missed a few.**

**Oh, and I'm listening to Try by P!nk. It's so amazing. Music video is a little out there, but hey, it' P!nk. I hope you liked this chapter! I've been trying to write more. I do it every time I have free time from school and my home work, and I'm an indoorsy person anyway. I have a social life, I leave the house with my friends, just saying.**

**Again thanks for the awesome reviews! They help me tweek some of the parts and I promise you, THERE WILL BE MUCH BETTER CATONISS WHEN I CAN IMPROVE MY SH*TTY WRITING SKILLS. IT WILL BE HERE SOON, THE SHIP WILL KEEP SAILING.**

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